Chapter 17

SEVENTEEN

Q uinn crouched over her scientific equipment, squinting at the blinking red error messages flashing across the screens. The alien rock formations of Nova Aurora’s Ice Mountains loomed around her, their crystalline structures casting prismatic shadows across her workspace.

A cold wind whipped through her hair, carrying the sharp scent of minerals she couldn’t quite identify. The readings from her instruments had been erratic all morning, but this was different.

“No, no, no,” she muttered, turning over a seismometer in her hands. The delicate instrument’s internal components had been completely scrambled, wires crossed and connections severed. This wasn’t a simple malfunction—someone had deliberately sabotaged her equipment. “Damn it.”

Her fingers traced the careful cuts in the wiring. Clean, precise—definitely intentional. The damage was extensive enough that she couldn’t repair it here in the field. She’d need to trek back to the palace for replacement parts.

“Not exactly the welcome wagon I was expecting,” she grumbled, examining another damaged device. “Though I suppose I should’ve known better. Different planet, same old story—someone always wants the geologist to shut up and go away.”

Quinn sat back on her heels, jaw clenched. After three days of carefully calibrating her instruments and gathering baseline data on Nova Aurora’s unique geological composition, someone had decided to throw a wrench in her work. The question was who—and why.

The wind picked up, carrying ice crystals that stung her cheeks. She pulled her thermal jacket tighter, grateful for the advanced alien fabric that adjusted to her body temperature. At least that was working properly, unlike her Earth clothing that had earned her endless ribbing from the palace’s AI systems.

“Your primitive Earth garments are highly inefficient,” the walls had informed her on her first day. “Perhaps you’d like to try something more... evolved?”

“Right.” She stood, shoving the damaged equipment into her pack with more force than necessary. “If they think this will stop me, they clearly don’t know who they’re dealing with. I didn’t come across the galaxy to let a little sabotage slow me down.”

The trek back to the palace wouldn’t be pleasant. The path wound through narrow passages between towering ice cliffs, their surfaces reflecting the alien sunlight in mesmerizing patterns. Beautiful, but treacherous. One wrong step on the slick ground could send her tumbling.

She’d barely made it halfway down the mountain when she spotted a familiar imposing figure waiting at the base of the path. Kai stood with his arms crossed, his pale hair catching the light like freshly fallen snow. His expression was carefully neutral, but she could see the concern in his ice-blue eyes.

Quinn’s heart did an annoying little flip in her chest. It was ridiculous how unfairly attractive he was, especially when he was trying to look all commanding and protective. Not that she’d ever admit that out loud. She wasn’t here for romance— especially not with an overprotective dragon king who probably thought she needed constant supervision.

“Your equipment?” he asked as she approached, his deep voice sending an unwanted shiver down her spine.

“Sabotaged.” Quinn dropped her pack at his feet with a metallic clang. “Someone didn’t want me collecting data today. Apparently, some people on your planet are as fond of nosy scientists as they are back on Earth.”

His jaw tightened, a muscle ticking beneath his skin. “I’ll assign guards to?—”

“No.” She cut him off, holding up a hand. “I don’t need babysitters. I need working equipment. And maybe a less hostile work environment, but I’ll settle for the equipment.”

“The mountains are dangerous, especially now. The tremors are growing stronger.” His voice deepened with authority, and she tried very hard not to notice how his eyes seemed to glow when he was concerned. “At least let me send someone to assist you when you return.”

“What part of ‘I work alone’ isn’t translating into dragon?” Quinn squared her shoulders, meeting his gaze directly. “I’ve handled worse conditions than this back on Earth. I don’t need help.”

“This isn’t Earth.” He took a step closer, and suddenly the air between them felt charged with something that had nothing to do with geology. “Nova Aurora has its own dangers. Dangers you aren’t familiar with.”

“I’m a quick study.” She tilted her chin up, refusing to back down despite their height difference. “And I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

“So I’ve noticed.” Was that amusement in his voice? “You’re quite... determined.”

“Is that dragon-speak for stubborn ?”

A ghost of a smile touched his lips. “Perhaps.”

Quinn ignored the way her stomach fluttered at that almost-smile. This was exactly what she didn’t need—attraction to the local royalty. She’d come here to work, to prove herself, not to get tangled up in whatever this electric tension was between them.

“Well, this determined scientist needs to get back to work.” She hoisted her pack back onto her shoulder, wincing slightly at the weight. “Those tremors won’t analyze themselves.”

His hand shot out, steadying her as she adjusted the pack. The brief contact sent sparks racing across her skin, and she jerked away as if burned. Kai’s expression flickered with something unreadable before settling back into its usual stoic mask.

“The offer of assistance stands,” he said quietly. “Whether you choose to accept it or not.”

She could feel his gaze burning into her back as she headed toward the palace workshop. The weight of it made her skin tingle, and she had to force herself not to look back. She wasn’t here for this. She wasn’t here for him. She had a job to do, and she’d do it alone, just like always.

An hour later, she’d gathered the necessary replacement parts and was making her way back up the mountain path. The alien sun had shifted position, casting long shadows across the ice. Fresh snow had begun to fall, dusting the ground with a fine powder that sparkled like diamond dust.

A faint tremor rippled through the ground, making loose rocks skitter down the cliff face. Quinn pressed herself against the rock wall, waiting for it to pass. The tremors had been getting more frequent lately, though no one seemed willing to tell her why. Every time she asked, she got vague answers about “natural cycles” and “ancient magic”—neither of which satisfied her scientific mind.

She reached her worksite without incident and began laying out her tools. The sooner she got her equipment running again, the sooner she could figure out what was causing these increasingly concerning geological disturbances.

“All right, Nova Aurora,” she muttered, calibrating a new sensor. “Let’s see what secrets you’re hiding.”

The ground shuddered again, stronger this time. Quinn froze, her hand hovering over a wrench. Something felt different about this tremor. The vibrations were deeper, more rhythmic. Warning bells went off in her mind.

The shaking intensified suddenly, violently. Cracks spider-webbed across the ice beneath her feet. Quinn scrambled to grab her equipment, but the ground lurched, tilting her away, sliding toward the cliff edge. She lunged for her pack, but her boots lost traction on the ice.